Not Just Loud…Serious Sound

Klipsch recently returned to the mix here at Tweeter. For those of you who don’t know, they make some seriously efficient speakers.

What sometimes surprises people, however, is the depth and detail that you get from them. Klipsch, found in 50 percent of all new theaters in North and South America, has a passion for being the best. Their mission statement reflects their goal, "To be the best-of-class audio solution in all categories that it competes…"

Blu-ray Provides Vastly Superior HD Audio Experience

Most consumers are aware that new high definition movie players and discs are available, but have hesitated to buy them up until now due to the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray. However, Toshiba abandoning HD-DVD will open the floodgates for home theater upgrades this year.

It is true that Blu-ray offers up to 1080p video resolution, as well as interactivity and more bonus features than regular DVD, but it also offers four next-generation audio codecs that new adopters will need to know about. Here’s the low down on the latest audio formats devised by Dolby and DTS.

Sonos Music System Gets Even Better

Back in November, Matt Remeika posted the article "Discover Sonos", in which he described the amazing Sonos Wireless Multi-Room Music system.  Here is some of what he wrote:  “The Sonos wireless multi-room music system is hands-down the best deal at our company. For under $1,000 you have a fantastic, easy to use, expandable whole-house wireless music system. Better yet, it offers amazing technology normally found only in sophisticated systems that are three to four times the cost.” 

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better . . . . .it has! 

You can now listen to Sirius Internet Radio with your Sonos system.  Listen to the same music or station all over the house (possible with the system in party mode).  Or, let the kids listen to Hip Hop Nation in the family room while you listen to Howard Stern in the garage or Martha Stewart in the kitchen. 

Just starting out or need help expanding your system? Come see us.  We can set you up with Sonos and your free 30-day trial of Sirius Internet Radio.

The Dipolar Express

Most living rooms aren’t built with home theater in mind, so it can be difficult to put surround speakers in the “perfect” spot. Polk Audio’s F/X-series speakers have a very convenient solution to this problem, because they work with your room.

Take Your Speakers Out of the Box

Are you searching for a high performance speaker that looks good, sounds great, and doesn't take up too much space?  Consider an in-wall speaker. They’re mounted flush to the surface of the wall, with the body of the speaker housed inside the wall; they’re stealth technology for sound.

What’s the Difference: Cables

Did you know that for any one kind of connecting cable in your entertainment system (audio, video, digital signal cable, etc.) there are only three big differences between any two designs?

They are:

• The Conductor
• The Covering (insulator and shield)
• The Connector

Smart Remote Control

Take a look at the coffee table in your living room.  Chances are you’ve got a remote for your television, one for the cable box, another one for your DVD player.

You probably have one or two for your sound system as well…and there isn’t a one you can actually read the buttons on.  Worse yet, pressing the wrong button can really put your evening’s entertainment in jeopardy. You shouldn’t dread family movie night.

Discover Sonos

The Sonos wireless multi-room music system is hands-down the best deal at our company. For under $1,000 you have a fantastic, easy to use, expandable whole-house wireless music system. Better yet, it offers amazing technology normally found only in sophisticated systems that are three to four times the cost.

Better Bass for Free

If you've got a subwoofer in your home theater system (and if you don't, it's time to get one) you can wring better bass out of it by placing it correctly in the room. You'll need a helper, and you'll see why in a moment.

First, you'll need to know your room's dimensions. That's because subs like to be placed at odd fractions of a room dimensions; i.e. a sub will sound better 1/5 or 1/3 of the way down the wall from the corner than it will 1/8 or 1/4 of the way down the wall.

Black Friday

Are you heading out to shop for a TV on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving)? If so, your experience will likely be a little different than for those who bought TV’s a year ago at this time. Last year there was a wave of discounting of historic proportions that was centered on flat panel TV’s, and it was so pronounced that CE companies are still talking about it!

This year, price drops on flat panel sets have slowed considerably as the market has matured, so we’re less likely to see a discounting frenzy. But there will still be excellent deals. Tweeter will again be featuring some incredible values on select higher end Video and Audio products.

Here are a few other thoughts on how to get more value from your TV purchase this holiday...

I Love Bose

Here at Tweeter, we love Bose.  Like us, they’re based in Boston.  Also, like us, Bose likes to wring every ounce of performance out of proven technology, while working on the cutting edge.  With Bose’s Lifestyle and 321 systems, features such as the uMusic intelligent playback system, AdaptiQ audio calibration system, and Bose link allow the system to mold itself to your lifestyle.

A Tip... Tip It!

Q:   Muddy Sound...
I have a home theater system with 5.1 channel sound, a good quality surround sound receiver, and a 50” projection TV on a stand. The problem is that dialogue sounds unclear; kind of muddy. Any ideas?

A: My first question would be, "Is your center speaker on a shelf in the stand beneath your TV?"

If so, check to see where it’s aimed. Most speakers in that situation are aimed at the listener’s knees. Since mid and high notes are fairy directional (they travel more like a spotlight than a floodlight), chances are good that those notes aren’t making it to your ears directly. Instead they’re either bouncing off the floor, or being absorbed by the rug if there is one, and neither of those is a good thing. Try tipping the center speaker back so that it’s aimed more directly at your ears. There are several good center speaker stands on the market, but you can test the idea with a spare remote slid beneath the front edge of the speaker. Chances are you’ll get a big performance boost for free.

Heard and Not Seen: Using Ceiling Speakers in your Home Theater

A huge part of the appeal of flat screen TV’s is their minimalist look, almost like artwork you can use. It’s hard to maintain that effect when you mount speakers next to the screen, whether on the wall, in the wall, or on the floor next to the set.

One option is to use in-wall speakers and paint the grills to match the wall, minimizing the visual effect of the speakers. Another option, which will deliver great sound while making the speakers essentially disappear, is to place your speakers in the ceiling above the TV. Here’s how:

HD Digital Radio

HD Radio is a technology that makes radio station signals more versatile by providing better sound, clarity and even the ability to broadcast more than one program on the same frequency.

Why do you want it? Well, if you listen to the radio at all and care about sound quality, HD Radio is for you. In addition to great sound, stations can now “multicast.” That simply means that HD Radio lets stations simultaneously broadcast more than one program on the same radio frequency. In addition to multiple programs, HD Radio makes it possible for you to receive song and artist info, news, weather, traffic and more on that same digital signal.

Surround Sound

Movie night without surround sound? Unthinkable!

From the days of Thomas Edison to 1958, monophonic sound was the standard...one speaker, one sound. For old-time AM radio and scratchy 75rpm records, it worked out just fine. But some smart engineer invented stereo, and changed everything. With two speakers, suddenly it all became more true-to-life. There were sounds coming from your left, your right, and everywhere in between—just like listening to a live performance.

Without great sound, it’s definitely not Hi-Def.

Home entertainment is all about Hi-Def. The new televisions display images with stunning sharpness, detail and color. It’s all very exciting and rewarding. But that’s only half of the Hi-Def experience.

Sound—or more precisely, surround sound—is as important as the picture. Imagine your favorite classic movies without sound. Jaws without the Dum…Dum…Dum…Dum…dum-dum-dum-dum when the shark lurks. The light saber in Star Wars without the NNNyarrrrt. Unimaginable!

Speakers- the behind-the-scene hero of home theater

When the lights turn down and the movie begins, everyone watching your home theater is totally fixated on the speakers in the room.

Yeah, right.

It’s the glamorous Hi-Def TV that grabs everyone’s attention and gets all the oohs and ahhs. But it’s the sound that makes the real home theater experience. And the most important part of any sound system, from basic stereo to multi-channel surround sound, is the speakers. The most sophisticated electronics played through tinny-sounding speakers will sound, well, tinny. There’s no way around it.

Do floor standing speakers give the same performance as a subwoofer/satellite speaker combination?

All things being equal, most experts will tell you that you can get the best overall sound from a good set of floor standing speakers.

They can play to louder volume levels in larger rooms and deliver rich, clean bass along with great details in the midtones and high notes. If you have the space for floor standers, go for them. But if your room space or décor won't work for floor speakers, today's subwoofer/satellite speaker systems can sound great. The small satellite speakers can almost disappear into shelves, or be wall mounted for convenience, and subwoofers can go into or behind furniture for the ultimate in “stealth” appearance.

What does a "Zone 2" or "Multi-zone" House System mean?

“Zone 2” is a set of connections on a receiver/control center that allow you to run two different music sources at the same time: watch a movie in the family room while listening to FM radio in the den.  On many better  surround receivers, these “Zone 2” connections have a 2 channel amplifier available to them, so you can have music in more than one room without buying an additional amplifier. It’s a great value if you’re adding music to just a room or two in addition to the main room. 
 
“Multi-zone” is usually coupled with the term “multi-room”, as in “multi-room, multi-zone system”.  A zone is any room, or group of rooms, that can have a separate music source playing while another zone plays another music source.

The Electrifying Sounds of Electrostatic Speakers

" A speaker is a speaker. Some are better than others, but basically you have a woofer, a tweeter and maybe a midrange mounted in some kind of cabinet. The basic designs made up of cones, domes and ribbons are pretty much all you have to choose from. "

The preceding statement is brought to you by a person who has never heard a Martin Logan Electrostatic speaker.

What's the significance of the RMS wattage rating on speakers?

Frankly, this is one of the least useful specifications for speakers.

At best, it's a guess by the manufacturer of the minimum and maximum power capabilities of the speaker.  In reality, it means very little!  There's no industry standard for specifying speaker power ratings, so a “200 watt” Brand A speaker isn't any better or worse than one from Brand B rated at “100 watts”.  Speakers don't generate power, receivers and amplifiers do.  Don't go by the specifications when evaluating speakers, trust your ears!  And just about everyone can hear the difference between a good speaker and a better one, so it pays to buy the best speakers you can. 

Shouldn't I always go for the biggest subwoofer size I can get?

Bigger in subwoofers is not always better!  A single 15” subwoofer may look more impressive than two 10” subs, but not perform as well.

Most experts will tell you that multiple smaller subwoofers will give you better results than one massive subwoofer.  Smaller subwoofer sizes, like 8” or 10” can stop moving quicker, so they can have much tighter, harder-hitting bass than a 15” or 18” can.  Smaller subs also can use smaller enclosures, which can save you money and leave some trunk/hatch space for other things!  And the enclosures will cost less as well.  What's more, two smaller subwoofers may actually move more air than a single larger one, so they could actually play louder or go deeper.  Determining the best subwoofer choice comes down to knowing what kind of bass you want to get and how loud you want your subwoofer system to play while considering factors like trunk space, vehicle construction, and enclosure style.  The Tweeter experts can help you with the whole process from idea to final installation.